Hibs V Aberdeen

[LA-Don]

Shocking performance from pretty much start to finish. Tactics were shite and team shape in the second half was terrible. DM maybe be a likeable guy who recruits well but tactically he’s awful. I’d take Lennon over that cnut. Expect the same against Celtic.

 

Did we have any real scoring chances?

 

McLean non existent in the second half. Why Maynard? Surely Stewart offers more?

 

 

[RicoS321]

Nwakali was pish, all over the place as expected. McLean was our only midfielder today, we were completely over-run without Shinnie. If anything O'Connor should have been in there earlier as at least he can hold his position. Hibs were good like. It wasn't tactics that made us sit deep, they were just far stronger through the centre and pushed us back. Christie was fairly gash again too. We don't have the squad to finish second I don't think. We're pish without our best 11. Look at the bench when we went a goal down. You wouldn't have played any of those willingly. We're way short in midfield.

[KennyFuckinPowers]

Not so much a scapegoat, it's just that he was fucking honking. Genuinely in disbelief that he's from Man City, can tell you right here and now that he will never kick a ball for them, ever.

 

Disgustingly pathetic performance all round though, not a single pass mark to anyone, Christie is a good wee player, but by fuck he was greedy today on several occasions that could have lead to something had he released the ball. Rooney in that 1st Half was fucking embarrassing, no other way to put it.

 

Hibs drove at us time and again, in numbers, and when we drove forward ( no laughing at the back ) it was literally with 2-3 players in and around the box, we were horrendously open in the middle of the park and Hibs just played around us.

 

2-0 completely flattered us, really hope Hamilton let us of the hook by beating the zombie pricks tomorrow, although I doubt it. Not that we should have to rely on that, 3 times we have played them and 3 times they have horsed us, yet we are/were 3 points ahead of them.

 

Another big game, another unmotivated, toothless performance, happy days 

[Lencarl]

That was the worst display from Aberdeen since The Rangers match.

Watching that game it looked like Aberdeen had never played together before today.

Very lucky to only concede two goals.

Not looking forward to Celtic match at all.

 

[LA-Don]

Don’t agree about nwakali at all. Easy to blame him on his first start when he’s a young boy, those around him did him zero favors. Looked nervous first 5 mins but other than that worked hard and was tidy with the ball and comfortable on the ball. He had 2 fouls, both of which were intelligent play by the hibs player who slowed down/ran across him. There were plenty of times when he could have dove in and been rash but he stood up and got goalside, unlike mclean.  He was no worse than McLean, and better than OConnor.

 

Rico, we watched a different game. Everyone was all over the place, not fair to single out mwakali. At times I had no clue who was playing where other than McKenna. Were we a back 4? 5? What shape in midfield? McLean was shockingly bad in the second half. Disappeared for a good 20 mins after he should have been off at the time in a game we needed him. OConnor did zero in midfield, if anything was a third central defender so left us even more exposed in central midfield. Except when he appeared wide left at one point. It was tactics that killed us, we started with GMS and Logan as wing backs, Rooney wide right, no player forward. Hibs were not good, we were just shite.

[Jute]

Sorry LA but Nwakali was awful today. Totally out of his depth. McLean was probably the only one to get pass marks. I would lay most of the blame for today firmly at the feet of McInnes. He got his initial tactics wrong then his change at half time actaully made things worse. I fear next week could be an even bigger doing.

[Ten Caat]

Game was lost in midfield though AOC was at fault at first goal too slow to come out playing the Hibs boy onside. Just shows how badly we miss Shinnie in midfield, I know his game is based on aggression but DM must find a way of getting through to him that he is getting booked far too often and a lot of the time these bookings are for quite unnecessary challenges where he has little or no chance of winning the ball.

 

I aint looking forward to us facing the Dhims next week without him and Christie.

[ayrshire_don74]

nswally shouldnt even be there yet again scouting and poor signings catch up, both hibs and hearts will usurp us either this season or next hopeless signings

[baggy89]

Yay! What hivs have done to warrant the glasgae “tactics” from mcinnes is unfuckingknown.

[Lencarl]

McInnes...He said: "I can sit and say what I want - but they murdered us in the second half, absolutely murdered us "They were the better team hands-down. Their better players had a bigger influence on the game and we did not react the way I would expect when the second goal went in."There was plenty of effort, but not enough responsibility taken. We picked up enough yellow cards but I'm not kidded by that - there wasn't enough proper tackling from us."Hibs had a good day, similar to when we won 4-1 at Pittodrie. That was revenge for Hibs. Although it was only 2-0 we were lucky to get away with two."

 

Plenty of effort Not in the game I watched.

McInnes must take the responsibility for this defeat.

 

Shambles

[rocket_scientist]

McInnes is an arsehole. So is Stewrat Milne.

 

One day hence, most people will know these truths.

[manc_don]

Well I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised by that scoreline. No shinnie and we’ve all known we don’t have anything in midfield. Seems like it’s a 50/50 split as to whether chidi was any good but was more a tactical issue more than anything. That’s us only scoring twice in ten games (from open play) against hibs, hearts, septic and secco. Absolutely pathetic. The defensive setup doesn’t work in these games, when will he learn (it’s a rhetorical question, I already know the answer).

[RicoS321]

I don't believe it was a defensive setup Manc. It seemed to me like the same approach he took in the home game against hibs but with a glaring deficit in midfield and Rooney up front doing the chasing where May was previously (McGinn seemed to be very central today where May would have been at times in the last game. Chidi was asked to play a central midfield role, which is his position, but he was tanking about like a shite Flood. McLean's booking was taking one for the team after another player's fuck up, Chidi's was because he was chasing the ball around like a 5 year old in the playground. The reason we're struggling to score against the top six isn't just tactical, it's because we're not that good in key areas of the park and that's made worse if we have one or two missing. With that midfield today and Rooney up front, we're a worse team than hibs. I genuinely don't know how I would have set up differently today with those players. I'm surprised more folk don't see it, I think it's bloody obvious. If anything, we're doing better than we should be with some of the players in that squad. Look at the bench today too, it was dire. We'll get a doing against the Tims unless we load up on the defence and midfield with May up front to at least put pressure on the defence in some way (he wasn't great either today like). Arnason is pish, O'Connor, Ball and Chidi too so fuck knows who's going to play right centre half and in midfield.

[LA-Don]

It was defensive. By the looks of things we started with GMS at left wing back and McGinn ahead of him. Rooney was on the right and it seemed Christie was our more advanced player. Mcinnes does a great job at attracting players, I’ll give him that, but he’s a shite tactical coach.

 

I’ll still defend mwakali, he was no more all over the field than Shinnie does, and no worse than anyone else. Except more disciplined than McLean and more mobile than O’Connor.

[manc_don]

I don't believe it was a defensive setup Manc. It seemed to me like the same approach he took in the home game against hibs but with a glaring deficit in midfield and Rooney up front doing the chasing where May was previously (McGinn seemed to be very central today where May would have been at times in the last game. Chidi was asked to play a central midfield role, which is his position, but he was tanking about like a shite Flood. McLean's booking was taking one for the team after another player's fuck up, Chidi's was because he was chasing the ball around like a 5 year old in the playground. The reason we're struggling to score against the top six isn't just tactical, it's because we're not that good in key areas of the park and that's made worse if we have one or two missing. With that midfield today and Rooney up front, we're a worse team than hibs. I genuinely don't know how I would have set up differently today with those players. I'm surprised more folk don't see it, I think it's bloody obvious. If anything, we're doing better than we should be with some of the players in that squad. Look at the bench today too, it was dire. We'll get a doing against the Tims unless we load up on the defence and midfield with May up front to at least put pressure on the defence in some way (he wasn't great either today like). Arnason is pish, O'Connor, Ball and Chidi too so fuck knows who's going to play right centre half and in midfield.

 

I've long suspected that this team is punching above it's weight. We're very fortunate, although it really looks like that's coming to an end, that the huns have been shite against lesser opposition and therefor haven't taken full advantage of pumping us 3 times this season.  We've such a threadbare squad and a limited one at that.  I wasn't making a statement regarding the tactics, I was more commenting on what Id read here and elsewhere.  Hadn't watched the game so couldn't comment, but it hadn't surprised me that McInnes apparently adopted a defensive tactic due to the lack of squad depth. He doesn't appear to realise that he doesn't have the team to do that. 

 

This summer will arguably be bigger than the last for transfers.

[Goldie03]

My first game since Celtic in December - I really need to start going to Pittodrie more often as at least we seem to play some decent football at home.

Shambles really - very poor in possession throughout the game,  some of the passes to a red shirt were abysmal. Tbh when you look at both midfield line ups we were always gonna struggle but very disappointing nonetheless to witness such an abject lacklustre display from so many of the players. No chance we were ever getting back into game once Hibs scored.

 

Someone mentioned that we have been flattering to deceive and I totally agree. The issues we have in midfield and defence are starting to haunt us.

Not sure how I felt about the young lad - he did look a bit like a headless chicken at times but then so did half his team mates

 

Celtic next week will be murder with that line up but thankfully Shinnie is back for Killie.

 

 

 

 

 

[Lencarl]

Hibernian manager Neil Lennon claimed it was one of the best performances of the season from his side

 

These quotes from other managers when their teams beat Aberdeen is becoming tiresome.

Celtic say it.

The Rangers say it.

Now Hibs say it.

 

How do other clubs manage to raise their game when playing us but we can not do the same.

It must be the mind set of the players.

Folk blame the tactics from McInnes but the players must stand up and be counted in these games.

They have minds of their own and as professionals should be able to think out of the box.

Normal working people do not need constant input from their managers to be able to do their jobs.

 

 

 

[rocket_scientist]

Normal working people do not need constant input from their managers to be able to do their jobs.

 

Yes I agree that the players are responsible but they're not very good and the manager recruited them.

 

Who are the good footballers at AFC?

 

1. McKenna might have a promising future ahead of him.

 

2. Shinnie has good hunger, desire and bite but is a far better LB than he is a midfielder.

 

3. McGinn is a good footballer but a career underachiever.

 

4. Logan was good once upon a time.

 

McLean has found his level at Norwich and it's debatable whether that's "good" but we have no very good or excellent footballers, the only proviso being that McKenna has the potential to be. And he got discovered by accident. The likes of Ross and Wright, we will never know cos our manager doesn't believe in youth. His continuous putting on of Maynard is stubbornness and incompetence.

[baggy89]

I don't believe it was a defensive setup Manc. It seemed to me like the same approach he took in the home game against hibs but with a glaring deficit in midfield and Rooney up front doing the chasing where May was previously (McGinn seemed to be very central today where May would have been at times in the last game. Chidi was asked to play a central midfield role, which is his position, but he was tanking about like a shite Flood. McLean's booking was taking one for the team after another player's fuck up, Chidi's was because he was chasing the ball around like a 5 year old in the playground. The reason we're struggling to score against the top six isn't just tactical, it's because we're not that good in key areas of the park and that's made worse if we have one or two missing. With that midfield today and Rooney up front, we're a worse team than hibs. I genuinely don't know how I would have set up differently today with those players. I'm surprised more folk don't see it, I think it's bloody obvious. If anything, we're doing better than we should be with some of the players in that squad. Look at the bench today too, it was dire. We'll get a doing against the Tims unless we load up on the defence and midfield with May up front to at least put pressure on the defence in some way (he wasn't great either today like). Arnason is pish, O'Connor, Ball and Chidi too so fuck knows who's going to play right centre half and in midfield.

 

Strange post given you defended McInnes’ transfer window.

 

Can’t wait for the split...

[Lencarl]

The only words I want to hear from McInnes after the Celtic match next Sunday is " That was our best performance of the season and we fully deserved the win".

 

Will not be holding my breath though.

 

 

[RicoS321]

Strange post given you defended McInnes’ transfer window.

 

Can’t wait for the split...

 

Did I? I'm pretty certain I said that it was very difficult to get good players in January (although at that point I thought he'd bought the young striker lad to replace Maynard on the bench and give us an option). I certainly didn't defend the previous window, which is when the damage was done. If he'd recruited a proper midfielder instead of Tansey then we wouldn't be having an issue when Shinnie is out. If he'd recruited a proper striker instead of Maynard (or even, god forbid, kept Stockley) then we wouldn't be having this issue. I've said on hunners of occasions that we're short in the centre forward role and everyone knows we haven't had a decent holding midfielder in ages. Chidi shows that going out and just loaning/buying a player to fill a gap in the squad is no use.

[tlg1903]

Not overly surprised we lost this one but, as has already been mentioned, the way we were completely out played the second half was very disappointing. Shinnie really was such a miss but one thing I would add is that was a really good performance from Hibs.  We had our shortcomings clearly but it's not like we lost to diddies and we lost it in the midfield.  Allan, McGeoch and McGinn  really impressed me as a midfield 3, it's easily the best midfield I have seen domestically this season and I would not be at all surprised if they go the rest of the season unbeaten if they keep them fit.  The only player of ours that could get in there is Shinnie over McGeoch but not by much.

 

Have to say McGinn has really bulked up this past year hasn't he?  He's defo going on to better things in the summer and whilst all the chat has been he's probably going to Celtic they may have missed their chance.  Richer clubs in better leagues than Scotland will be looking very closely at him and  he could very easily be playing in any top league in Europe next season. 

 

Celtic next is intimidating but they will be just back from Russia and a poor St J held them at the San Giro today so it's far from a hopeless task.  Guarantee the midfield the Tims put out on Sunday won't be as good as Hibs is at the moment at the very least.

[SeeBass]

Just going off topic for a second but given we've been the second best team for the last few years I wonder how Hibernian can regularly get between 17,000 and 19,000 attendances yet we continuously struggle to attract 13,000 for a Pittodrie match??

[ayrshire_don74]

said it countless times this why hibs and hearts will eventually pull past us they have a structural advantage... hibs hearts probably have a catchment area if 2m people edinburgh, lothians etc